Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Perfect
director	James Bridges
producer	James Bridges
writer	Aaron Latham (article)James Bridges
starring	John TravoltaJamie Lee CurtisJann WennerMarilu HennerLaraine NewmanAnne De SalvoMathew Reed
music	Narada Michael Walden
cinematography	Gordon Willis
editing	Jeff Gourson
distributor	Columbia Pictures
released
runtime	119 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$22 million
gross	$12,918,858 (US)
followed by	}}

''Perfect'' is a 1985 American film drama, directed by James Bridges and starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The film was based on a series of articles that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine in the late 1970s, chronicling the popularity of Los Angeles health clubs amongst single people.

Plot

Rolling Stone reporter Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) is sent from New York to Los Angeles to write an article about a businessman arrested for a drug dealing. During his stay in L.A., Adam sees a chance to collect material for another story about how "Fitness clubs are the singles bars of the '80s".

He visits "The Sport Connection," a popular gym where he meets workout instructor Jessie Wilson (Jamie Lee Curtis) and asks for an interview. Because of a previous bad experience with the press when she was a competitive swimmer, Jessie declines.

Adam joins the fitness club and soon coaxes other club members to tell him about the gym and its impact on their love lives. Some, such as fun-loving Linda and Sally, are all too candid about their experiences with the opposite sex.

Although she doesn't agree to be a part of his story, a romance does ultimately develop between Jessie and Adam, resulting in a moral dilemma; as a journalist he has lost his objective point of view.

Jessie comes to trust him. Less cynical than before, Adam makes a concerted effort to show Jessie that not all journalists are out for the cheap sensation. He writes an in-depth, fair-minded analysis of fitness clubs as a singles meeting scene. But it is deemed unacceptable by his boss, Rolling Stone's editor in chief Mark Roth (Jann Wenner).

Adam's article is turned over to others for editing, using material supplied by colleague Frankie, a photographer. She finds Jessie's long-ago appearance in a magazine with embarrassing and untrue details about a romance. Adam travels for another assignment and is unaware of the changes being made in his story and too late to stop it. This has devastating impact on Jessie, as well as on others like Sally and Linda, described as "the most used piece of equipment in the gym."

Adam tries to explain Jessie the whole situation but can't. Meanwhile, he must attend a trial at which he's supposed to testify. As a reporter, using rights granted by the First Amendment, he decides not to comply with a judge who orders Adam to hand over a tapes from the businessman's interview. Adam is jailed for contempt of court.

Jessie can see that Adam is a man of his word and believes him that he did not write the article the way it appeared in Rolling Stone.

Cast

John Travolta - Adam Lawrence

Jamie Lee Curtis - Jessie Wilson

Jann Wenner - Mark Roth

Marilu Henner - Sally

Laraine Newman - Linda

Anne De Salvo - Frankie

Mathew Reed - Roger

John Napierala - City News Editor

Stefan Gierasch - Charlie

Ramey Ellis - City News Receptionist

Alma Beltran - Grieving Woman

Perla Walter - Grieving Woman

Gina Morelli - Grieving Woman

Philippe Delgrange - Maitre d' in New York

Tom Schiller - Carly Simon's Friend

Paul Kent - Judge

Murphy Dunne - Peckerman

Kenneth Welsh - Joe McKenzie

Michael Laskin - Government Prosecutor

Robert Stark - Government Prosecutor

Laurie Burton - Mrs. McKenzie

Ann Travolta - Mary

Nanette Pattee-Francini - Nanette

Robin Samuel - Robin

Robert Parr - Robert

Rosalind Allen - Sterling (as Rosalind Ingledew)

Chelsea Field - Randy

Dan Lewk - Steve

Kenny Griswold - Kenny

Andrea Adams - Sports Connection Member

Kurek Ashley - Sports Connection Member

Paul Barresi - Sports Connection Member

Leslie Suzan - Sports Connection Member (as Leslie Borkin)

Candy Ann Brown - Sports Connection Member

Brent Carlton - Sports Connection Member

Eileen Finney - Sports Connection Member

Cristian Letelier - Sports Connection Member

Donna M. Perkins - Sports Connection Member (as Donna Perkins)

Jill Schachne - Sports Connection Member

Roger Menache - Matt

Charlene Jones - Shotsy

John Wesley - Eddie

Mario Marin - Waiter

Lee Nicholl - Jeff

Stacy Bayne - Billy

Tracy Bayne - Bobby

David Paymer - Managing Editor

Julie Fulton - Martha

Ken Sylk - Tod

Jim Vanko - F.B.I. Agent

Murphy Cross - Dita

Laura Owens - Receptionist

Beth Herzhaft - Researcher

Anson Downes - Sub-Editor

Renee Tetro - Staff Member

Ronnie Claire Edwards - Melody

Joan Edwards - Melody's Friend

Sam Travolta - Hotel Desk Clerk

Clarke Wilson - Chippendales M.C.

Kim Connell - Sally's Friend

Kim Isaacson - Linda's Friend

Wendy Shawn - Party-Goer

Dan Peterson - Roger's Friend

Douglas Campbell - Party Pro (as Doug Campbell)

Gregory Hormel - Party Guest

Daniel Dayan - Maitre d'

Annick Romain - French Operator

Steve Solberg - Assistant Art Director (as Steven Solberg)

Susan Burritt - Art Department Girl

John Michael Kelly - Guy at Desk

Bruce Savin - Front Desk

Jean Lubin - Stewardess

Kai Maxwell - Herself

Kevin Boyle - Himself

Frank Cavestani - TV Reporter #1

Brian Maguire - TV Reporter #2

Elaine Perkins - TV Reporter #3

Maralene Cramer - Court Reporter

Bob Henry - Jury Foreman

Reception

The film was neither a commercial nor a critical success alike. ''Perfect'' maintains a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actor (John Travolta), Worst Supporting Actress (Marilu Henner) and Worst Screenplay.

Soundtrack

name	Perfect
type	Soundtrack
artist	Various Artists
released	June 4, 1985
genre	Pop
length	41:20
label	Arista Records
producer	Ralph Burns
next album	}}

Released as a 12" vinyl record, re-released on CD.

Side A: #(Closest Thing To) Perfect - Jermaine Jackson (3:50) #I Sweat (Going Through The Motions) - Nona Hendryx (3:54) #All Systems Go - Pointer Sisters (3:48) #Shock Me - Jermaine Jackson & Whitney Houston (5:08) #Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) - Wham! (4:43)

Side B:

#Wear Out The Grooves - Jermaine Stewart (4:43) #Hot Hips - Lou Reed (3:33) #Talking To The Wall - Dan Hartman (3:59) #Masquerade - Berlin (3:48) #Lay Your Hands On Me - Thompson Twins (4:11)

Filming locations

"Sports Connection" fitness centre scenes were filmed in actual Sports Connection fitness club (now Sports Club/LA, a gigantic athletic facility in West Los Angeles), known for a place where the single persons were meeting.

In the opening scene, the camera pans in on The Jersey Journal sign in Jersey City.

External links

Category:1985 films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:Romantic drama films

de:Perfect it:Perfect (film) ru:Идеально

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
birth date	November 22, 1958
birth place	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
occupation	ActressAuthorBlogger
years active	1977–present
spouse	Christopher Guest (1984–present) }}

Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as ''Halloween'', ''The Fog'', ''Prom Night'' and ''Terror Train'', Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many genres, and has won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. Her 1998 book, ''Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day'', made the best-seller list in ''The New York Times''. Curtis has appeared in advertisements, and is a blogger for The Huffington Post online newspaper. She is married to actor, screenwriter, and director Christopher Guest.

Early life

Curtis was born in Los Angeles, to actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh. Her paternal grandparents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Curtis's parents divorced in 1962, after which her mother married Robert Brandt. Curtis has an older sister, Kelly Curtis, who is also an actress, and several half-siblings (all from her father's remarriages), Alexandra, Allegra, Ben, and Nicholas Curtis (who died in 1994 of a drug overdose). Curtis attended Westlake School in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills High School, and graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall. Returning to California in 1976, she attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She considered majoring in social work, but quit after one semester to pursue an acting career.

Career

Film

Curtis's film debut occurred in the 1978 horror film ''Halloween'', in which she played the role of Laurie Strode. The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title, "scream queen"

Her next film was the horror film, ''The Fog'', which was helmed by ''Halloween'' director John Carpenter. The film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office, further cementing Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, ''Prom Night'', was a low-budget Canadian slasher film released in July 1980. The film, for which she earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress, was similar in style to ''Halloween'', yet received negative reviews which marked it as a disposable entry in the then-popular "slasher film" genre. That year, Curtis also starred in ''Terror Train'', which opened in October and met with a negative reviews akin to ''Prom Night''. Both films performed only moderately well at the box office. Curtis had a similar function in both films - the main character whose friends are murdered, and is practically the only protagonist to survive. Film critic Roger Ebert, who had given negative reviews to all three of Curtis' 1980 films, said that Curtis "is to the current horror film glut what Christopher Lee was to the last one-or Boris Karloff was in the 1930s". Curtis later appeared in ''Halloween II'', ''Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' and ''Halloween: Resurrection'', as well as giving an uncredited voice role in ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch''.

Her role in 1983's ''Trading Places'' helped Curtis shed her horror queen image, and garnered her a BAFTA award as best supporting actress. 1988's ''A Fish Called Wanda'' achieved near cult status – while showcasing her as a comedic actress; she was nominated for a BAFTA as best leading actress. She won a Golden Globe for her work in 1994's ''True Lies''. Her recent film roles include Disney's ''Freaky Friday'' (2003), opposite Lindsay Lohan, filmed at Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California, near where Curtis and Guest live with their children. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for this film.

In October 2006, Curtis told ''Access Hollywood'' that she had closed the book on her acting career to focus on her family. She returned to acting after being cast in June 2007 in Disney's live-action-animated film, ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'', co-starring opposite Piper Perabo as one of three live-action characters in the film. She also starred in the 2010 comedy film ''You Again'', opposite Kristen Bell and Sigourney Weaver.

Television

Curtis made her television debut in an episode of ''Columbo'', but her first starring TV role was opposite Richard Lewis in the situation comedy ''Anything But Love'', which ran for four seasons from 1989 through 1992. Her performance as Hannah Miller received both a Golden Globe and People's Choice Award. She appeared as nurse Lt. Duran in the short-lived television series, ''Operation Petticoat''; based on the big-screen version which starred her real-life father.

She starred in the 1981 TV film, ''Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story'', playing the part of the eponymous doomed Playmate. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work in TNT's adaptation of the Wendy Wasserstein play ''The Heidi Chronicles''. More recently, Curtis starred in the CBS television movie ''Nicholas' Gift,'' for which she received an Emmy nomination. Curtis also appeared in the science fiction series, ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', and an early episode of ''The Drew Carey Show''. Jamie Lee Curtis was a game-show panelist on several episodes of ''Match Game''.

Children's books

Working with illustrator Laura Cornell, Curtis has written a number of children's books, all published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

''When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old's Memoir of Her Youth'', 1993.

''Tell Me Again About The Night I was Born'', 1996.

''Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day'', 1998; listed on the ''New York Times'' best-seller list for 10 weeks.

''Where Do Balloons Go?: An Uplifting Mystery'', 2000.

''I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem'', 2002.

''It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel'', 2004.

''Is There Really a Human Race?'', 2006.

''Big Words for Little People'', ISBN 9780061127595, 2008.

''My Friend Jay'', 2009, edition of one, presented to Jay Leno

''My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story'', 2010.

Invention

In 1987, Curtis filed a US patent application that subsequently issued as Patent No. 4,753,647. This is a modification of a diaper with a moisture proof pocket containing wipes that can be taken out and used with one hand. Curtis refused to allow her invention to be marketed until companies started selling biodegradable diapers, although the full statutory term of this patent expired February 20, 2007 and is now in the public domain.

Personal life

Curtis married actor Christopher Guest on December 18, 1984, becoming Lady Haden-Guest when her husband inherited the Barony of Haden-Guest in 1996, upon the death of his father. The couple has two adopted children (Annie, b. 1986; Thomas b. 1996). Curtis is actor Jake Gyllenhaal's godmother.

On her website, Curtis tells her young readers that she "moonlights as an actor, photographer, and closet organizer." She takes time to support various philanthropic groups. Curtis was Guest of Honor at the 11th annual Gala and Fundraiser in 2003 for Women in Recovery, Inc., a Venice, California-based non-profit organization offering a live-in, twelve-step program of rehabilitation for women in need. Past honorees of this organization include Sir Anthony Hopkins and Angela Lansbury. Curtis is also involved in the work of the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, serving as the annual host for the organization's "Dream Halloween" event in Los Angeles, launched every year in October.

Curtis appeared on the cover of the May/June 2008 issue of ''AARP Magazine,'' with gray hair and in water up to her chest.

Curtis was an alcoholic who was once addicted to pain killers that she began using after a routine cosmetic surgical procedure. She became sober in 1999 and maintains that recovery is the greatest achievement of her life.

Curtis has appeared in advertisements for Activia since 2007, and is a blogger for The Huffington Post online newspaper. During California's 2008 General Election, Curtis appeared in the "YES on Prop 3" TV advertisements.

Filmography

border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9;>

Film appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978		Laurie Strode
	''The Fog''	Elizabeth Solley
	Kim Hammond
''Terror Train''	Alana Maxwell	Nominated — Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign ActressNominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress
	''Escape from New York''	Narrator, computer voice
''Roadgames''	Pamela 'Hitch' Rushworth
''Halloween II''	Laurie Strode
1982	''Halloween III: Season of the Witch''	Phone Operator	voice only, uncredited
1983	''Trading Places''	Ophelia	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
		Anna Winter
''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension''	Sandra Banzai	featured in DVD extended version
''Grandview, U.S.A.''	Michelle 'Mike' Cody
		Jessie
1986	''As Summers Die''	Whitsey
1987		"Amazing Grace and Chuck"
	''Dominick and Eugene''	Jennifer Reston
''A Fish Called Wanda''	Wanda Gershwitz	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1990		Megan Turner	Festival du Film Policier de Cognac
	''[[Queens Logic''	Grace
	Shelly DeVoto
1992		Claire Cooper
1994	''My Girl 2''	Shelly DeVoto Sultenfuss
1994	''Mother's Boys''	Judith 'Jude' Madigan
1994	''True Lies''	Helen Tasker	American Comedy Awards
1996		Janet Beindorf
1997	''[[Fierce Creatures''	Willa Weston
	''Halloween H20: 20 Years Later''	Laurie Strode/Keri Tate
''Nicholas' Gift''	Maggie Green	Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1999		Kelly Foster
2000	''Drowning Mona''	Rona Mace
	''The Tailor of Panama''	Louisa Pendel
''Daddy and Them''	Elaine Bowen
2002	''Halloween: Resurrection''	Laurie Strode
2003		Tess Coleman/Anna Coleman	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated — Saturn Award for Best ActressNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2004	''Christmas with the Kranks''	Nora Krank
2005	''The Kid & I''	Herself
2008	''Beverly Hills Chihuahua''	Aunt Viv
2010	''You Again''	Gail

border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9;> ''The Love Boat'' ''Operation Petticoat'' ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series) ''She's in the Army Now'' ''Callahan'' ''Tall Tales & Legends'' ''As Summers Die'' ''Anything But Love'' ''The Heidi Chronicles'' ''The Drew Carey Show'' ''Nicholas' Gift'' ''Pigs Next Door'' ''A Home for the Holidays'' ''NCIS (TV series)

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Television appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
rowspan="3"	1977	''Quincy M.E.''	Girl in Dressing Room
''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries''	Mary
''Columbo''	WaitressWaitress
rowspan="2"	1978	|	Linda	Episode: Till Death Do Us Part, Maybe/Chubs/Locked Away
''Charlie's Angels''	Linda Frey
1978–1979	|	Lt. Barbara Duran	23 Episodes
1979	Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' ||	Jen Burton	Episode: Unchained Woman
rowspan="2"	1981	|	Pvt. Rita Jennings	TV Movie
''Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story''	Dorothy Stratten
rowspan="2"	1982	|	Rachel Bartlett	TV Movie
''Money on the Side''	Michelle Jamison
1985	|	Annie Oakley	Episode: Annie Oakley
1986	|	Whitsey Loftin	TV Movie
1989–1992	|	Hannah Miller	Series Regular	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, 1989 Nominated —Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, 1991
1995	|	Heidi Holland	TV Movie	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film>Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
1996	|	Sioux	Episode: Playing a Unified Field
1998	|	Maggie Green	TV Movie
2000	|	Clara	Voice
2005	|	TV Program Host	TV Movie
2011	NCIS'' ||	TBA	2 episodes

References

External links

for Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell books Jamie Lee Curtis interview

Category:1958 births Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American children's writers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:British baronesses Category:Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Category:Living people Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Saturn Award winners Category:University of the Pacific (United States) alumni Category:American activists Category:American philanthropists ar:جيمي لي كروتس an:Jamie Lee Curtis bg:Джейми Лий Къртис ca:Jamie Lee Curtis cs:Jamie Lee Curtis da:Jamie Lee Curtis de:Jamie Lee Curtis es:Jamie Lee Curtis eo:Jamie Lee Curtis fr:Jamie Lee Curtis fy:Jamie Lee Curtis hr:Jamie Lee Curtis io:Jamie Lee Curtis id:Jamie Lee Curtis ia:Jamie Lee Curtis is:Jamie Lee Curtis it:Jamie Lee Curtis he:ג'יימי לי קרטיס lv:Džeimija Lī Kērtisa hu:Jamie Lee Curtis ms:Jamie Lee Curtis nah:Jamie Lee Curtis nl:Jamie Lee Curtis ja:ジェイミー・リー・カーティス no:Jamie Lee Curtis nds:Jamie Lee Curtis pl:Jamie Lee Curtis pt:Jamie Lee Curtis ro:Jamie Lee Curtis ru:Кёртис, Джейми Ли simple:Jamie Lee Curtis sr:Џејми Ли Кертис fi:Jamie Lee Curtis sv:Jamie Lee Curtis th:เจมี ลี เคอร์ติส tr:Jamie Lee Curtis vi:Jamie Lee Curtis zh:潔美·李·寇蒂斯

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
birth name	John Joseph Travolta
birth date	February 18, 1954
birth place	Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
occupation	Actor, singer, dancer, producer, writer
years active	1969–present
religion	Roman Catholic (until 1975)Scientologist (1975-present)
spouse
children
website	http://www.travolta.com }}

John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' and starring in the box office successes ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Grease''. Travolta's acting career declined in the early 1980s and continued to deteriorate throughout the remainder of the decade. His career faced a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in ''Pulp Fiction'', and he has since continued starring in Hollywood films including ''Face/Off'', ''Ladder 49'', and ''Wild Hogs''. Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Pulp Fiction''. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in ''Get Shorty''.

Early life

Travolta, the youngest of six children, was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City. His father, Salvatore Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995), was a semi-professional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company. His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke, January 1912 – December 1978), was an actress and singer who had appeared in ''The Sunshine Sisters'', a radio vocal group, and acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher. His siblings are Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta. Travolta's father was a second-generation Italian American and his mother was Irish American; he grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and has said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture. He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975.

Career

Early career

After attending Dwight Morrow High School, Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the touring company of the musical ''Grease'' and on Broadway in ''Over Here!'' singing the Sherman Brothers' song "Dream Drummin'". He then moved to Los Angeles to further his career in show business.

Travolta's first California-filmed television role was as a fall victim in, ''Emergency!'' (S2E2), in September 1972, but his first significant movie role was as Billy Nolan, a bully who was goaded into playing a prank on Sissy Spacek's character in the horror film, ''Carrie'' (1976). Around the same time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979), in which his sister, Ellen, also occasionally appeared (as Arnold Horshack's mother). The show aired on ABC.

'70s stardom

Around this time, Travolta had a hit single entitled "Let Her In" peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the next few years, he appeared in some of his most memorable screen roles: Tony Manero in ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) and as Danny Zuko in ''Grease'' (1978). These two films were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom. ''Saturday Night Fever'' earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. At age 24, Travolta became one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. His mother and his sister Ann appeared as extras in ''Saturday Night Fever'' and his sister Ellen appeared as a waitress in ''Grease''. Travolta performed several of the songs on the ''Grease'' soundtrack album. In 1980, Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze that followed on the heels of his hit film, ''Urban Cowboy'', in which he starred with Debra Winger.

Downturn

After ''Urban Cowboy'', Travolta starred in a string of flops that sidelined his acting career. These included ''Perfect'', co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and ''Two of a Kind'', a romantic comedy reteaming him with Olivia Newton-John. During that time he was offered, but turned down, lead roles in what would become box office hits, including ''American Gigolo'' and ''An Officer and a Gentleman'', both of which went to Richard Gere.

Resurgence

In 1989 Travolta starred in ''Look Who's Talking'', which grossed $297,000,000, making it his most successful film since ''Grease''. Travolta continued to the 2 sequels ''Look Who's Talking Too'' (1990) and ''Look Who's Talking Now'' (1993). But It was not until he played Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's hit ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career was revived. The movie shifted him back onto the A-list, and he was inundated with offers. Notable roles following ''Pulp Fiction'' include a movie-buff loan shark in ''Get Shorty'' (1995), an FBI agent and terrorist in ''Face/Off'' (1997), a desperate attorney in ''A Civil Action'' (1998), a Bill Clinton-esque presidential candidate in ''Primary Colors'' (1998) and a military detective in ''The General's Daughter'' (1999).

2000–present

Travolta also starred in ''Battlefield Earth'' (2000) based on a work of science fiction by L. Ron Hubbard, in which he played the leader of a group of aliens that enslaves humanity on a bleak future Earth. The film received almost universally negative reviews and did very poorly at the box office. Travolta played Mrs. Edna Turnblad in the remake of ''Hairspray'', his first musical since ''Grease''.

Personal life

Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble''; Hyland died of breast cancer in 1977.

Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. The couple had a son, Jett (1992–2009). Their daughter, Ella Bleu, was born in 2000. On May 18, 2010, Travolta and Preston announced that she was pregnant with the couple's third child, later confirmed to be a boy. Their son, Benjamin, was born on November 23, 2010 in Florida.

Travolta and Preston have regularly attended marriage counseling; Travolta has stated that therapy has helped the marriage.

Travolta is a certified private pilot and owns five aircraft, including an ex-Qantas Boeing 707–138 airliner. The plane bears the name ''Jett Clipper Ella'' in honor of his children. Pan American World Airways was a large operator of the Boeing 707 and used Clipper in its names. The 707 aircraft bears the marks of Qantas, as Travolta acts as an official goodwill ambassador for the airline wherever he flies. His $4.9 million estate in the Jumbolair subdivision in Ocala, Florida, is situated on Greystone Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his front door. On September 13, 2010, during the first episode of the final season of her talk show, Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be taking her entire studio audience on an 8-day expenses-paid trip to Australia, with Travolta serving as pilot for the trip. He had helped Winfrey plan the trip for over a year. On 24 Nov. 1992 Travolta piloting his Gulfstream N728T at night (on top of a solid undercast) had a total electrical system failure while flying IFR into DCA. During the emergency landing there was a near mid-air collision with USAir Boeing 727, due to a risky decision by an air trafic controller.

Travolta has been a practitioner of Scientology since 1975 when he was given the book ''Dianetics'' while filming the movie ''The Devil's Rain'' in Durango, Mexico. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, joining other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, Travolta flew his 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area.

In June 2010, Travolta and Preston donated $10,000 to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund while on a trip to South Africa.

Son's death

On January 2, 2009, Travolta and Preston's son, Jett, died while on their holiday vacation in The Bahamas. A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure. Jett, who had a history of seizures, reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease as an infant. On September 24, 2009, long a source of speculation, Travolta and Preston confirmed that their son had autism and suffered regular seizures. They made their statements while giving a testimony after a multi-million dollar extortion plot against them regarding the circumstances of their son's death. After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges. Travolta has credited his family and faith in helping him survive the tragic death of his son, and in moving forward with his film career.

Filmography

+ List of film and television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1975	''''	John	TV movie
1975	''''	Danny
1976	''''	Tod Lubitch
1976		Billy Nolan
1977	''Saturday Night Fever''	Tony Manero
1978	''Moment by Moment''	Strip Harrison
1978
1980	''Urban Cowboy''	Buford 'Bud' Uan Davis
1981	''Blow Out''	Jack Terry
1983	''Staying Alive''	Tony Manero
1983		Zack Melon
1985		Adam Lawrence
1987		Ben	TV segment "The Dumb Waiter"
1989	''Look Who's Talking''	James Ubriacco
1989	''''	Travis
1990	''Look Who's Talking Too''	James Ubriacco
1991		Jack Cabe
1991	''Eyes Of An Angel''	Bobby	aka ''The Tender''
1991	''Chains of Gold''	Scott Barnes	TV movie; also writer
1992	''Boris and Natasha: The Movie''	Himself	cameo
1993	''Look Who's Talking Now''	James Ubriacco
1994		Vincent Vega
1995		Chili Palmer
1995		Louis Pinnock
1996
1996		George Malley
1996	''Orientation: A Scientology Information Film''	Himself	short subject
1996		Maj. Vic 'Deak' Deakins
1997		Himself	documentary
1997		Sam Baily
1997	''Face/Off''	Sean Archer/Castor Troy	Nomination—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1997	''She's So Lovely''	Joey Giamonti	also executive producer
1998	''''	Jan Schlichtmann
1998	''''	Brigadier General Quintard
1998	''Junket Whore''	Himself	documentary
1998		Governor Jack Stanton	Nomination—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1999	''''	Warr. Off. Paul Brenner/Sgt. Frank White
1999	''Our Friend, Martin''	Kyle's dad	animated educational film, voice only
2000	''Welcome to Hollywood''	Himself	mockumentary; cameo
2000	''Lucky Numbers''
2000			also producerRazzie Award for Worst Actor
2001	''Domestic Disturbance''	Frank Morrison
2001		Gabriel Shear
2002	''Austin Powers in Goldmember''	"Austinpussy" Johann van der Smut (Goldmember) / Himself	cameo
2003		Tom Hardy
2004	''Ladder 49''	Captain Mike Kennedy
2004	''''	Bobby Long
2004	''''	Howard Saint
2005	''Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D''		narrator; documentary
2005	''Be Cool''	Chili Palmer
2006		Elmer C. Robinson
2007	''Wild Hogs''	Woody Stevens
2007
2008		Bolt the Dog	voice
2009	''''	Benard Ryder
2009		Charlie Reed
2010		Charlie Wax
2012		Dennis
2012	''The Expendables 2''

+ List of credits in series television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1972	''Emergency!''	Chuck Benson	Episode: "Kids"
1972	''Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law''		Episode: "A Piece of God"
1973	''''	Eddie Halley	Episode: " Frozen Smoke"
1974		Danny	Episode: "Saturday's Child"
1975–1979	''Welcome Back, Kotter''

Discography

Albums

! Year	! Album	! style="width:50px;"
1974	''Over Here!''
1976	''John Travolta''
1977	''Can't Let You Go''
	''Travolta Fever''
1983	''Two of a Kind''
1986	''The Road to Freedom''
1996	''Let Her In: The Best of John Travolta''
2003	''The Collection''
2007	''Hairspray''

Singles

"Dream Drummin (1974)

"Easy Evil" (1975)

"Can't Let You Go" (1975)

"You Set My Dreams To Music" (1976)

"Goodnight Mr. Moon" (1976)

"Rainbows" (1976)

"Settle Down" (1976)

"Moonlight Lady" (1976)

"Right Time Of The Night" (1976)

"Big Trouble" (1976)

"What Would They Say" (1976)

"Back Doors Crying" (1976)

"Let Her In" (1976) – #10

"Whenever I'm Away From You" (1976) – #38

"Slow Dancin'" (1976)

"It Had To Be You" (1976)

"I Don't Know What I Like About You Baby" (1976)

"All Strung Out On You" (1977) – #34

"Baby, I Could Be So Good At Lovin' You" (1977)

"Razzamatazz" (1977)

"You're the One That I Want" – #1 (1978) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)

"Sandy" (1978)

"Greased Lightnin" (1978) – #47

"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (1980)

"Hooker Madness" (1983)

"Take A Chance" (1983) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)

"Two Sleepy People" (1997) (w/ Carly Simon)

"I Thought I Lost You" (2008) (w/ Miley Cyrus)

See also

List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest Nominees for Best Actor

References

Further reading

Tast, Brigitte (ed.) ''John Travolta''. (Hildesheim/Germany 1978) ISBN 3-88842-103-9.

External links

John Travolta official site

John Travolta: A Passionate Ambassador of Aviation

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American aviators Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American pop singers Category:American Scientologists Category:American television actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts from Roman Catholicism Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People from Englewood, New Jersey Category:Children of Entertainers

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Lloyd Cole
background	solo_singer
birth date	January 31, 1961
origin	Buxton, Derbyshire, England
years active	1984–present
associated acts	Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
website	http://www.lloydcole.com }}

Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.

Early life

Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire. He grew up in nearby Chapel en le Frith and went to New Mills Grammar School and later attended Runshaw College in Leyland Lancashire. After failing in law at University College London, he later attended (but did not graduate from) the University of Glasgow, where he studied philosophy and English and met the other members of The Commotions.

Career

The Commotions' 1984 debut, ''Rattlesnakes'', contained literary and pop culture references to such figures as Norman Mailer, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Simone de Beauvoir, Truman Capote, and Joan Didion. The group produced two more albums, ''Easy Pieces'' and ''Mainstream'', before disbanding in 1989, when Cole relocated to New York to record with various artists, including Fred Maher, Robert Quine and Matthew Sweet.

This solo setting produced two acclaimed albums, ''Lloyd Cole'' in 1990 and 1991's ''Don't Get Weird on Me Babe''. The latter was recorded in two parts: one side continued the New York rock mastered on his first solo album, while the other side featured a session orchestra, much in the style of Burt Bacharach or Scott Walker. Although some reviewers have claimed ''Don't Get Weird on Me Babe'' (the title being a quotation from the American minimalist writer Raymond Carver) to be a creative peak, it produced significantly fewer record sales. While he remained with Polydor as his record label, the US distribution contract with Capitol Records ended. (US rights were immediately picked up by Rykodisc).

Cole continued redefining his sound with ''Bad Vibes'' (1993), a collaboration with producer/remixer Adam Peters, using a harder and psychedelia-inspired sound. ''Love Story'' (1995) established stripped-down, largely acoustic sound landscapes with the help of Stephen Street (famous for his work with Blur and The Smiths) and former Commotions Neil Clark and Blair Cowan; the album produced a minor hit, affording Cole a mid-90s appearance on ''Top of the Pops'', with the song "Like Lovers Do". However, following a massive purge of the artist roster that came with Universal Music's takeover of Polygram and Cole's disappointment with the label, his contract was terminated despite at least two full-length recordings being locked in its vaults (later released in 2002 by One Little Indian).

In 2000, after being a solo artist for more than a decade (and a couple of years without a contract), Cole teamed with a younger generation of New York musicians under the name The Negatives. The group consisted of Jill Sobule, Dave Derby of the Dambuilders, Mike Kotch and Rafa Maciejak, who recorded an eponymous CD, released mainly in France. He has since released solo albums on smaller independent labels. Sanctuary Records, the company responsible for the revival of Morrissey, released ''Music in a Foreign Language'' (2003) in the UK. Recorded largely by Cole himself (including tracks recorded directly onto a Mac), the songs had a stark, folk-inspired singer-songwriter style. One Little Indian, home of Björk, released ''Music in a Foreign Language'' in the U.S.; they also collected a number of outtakes (recorded from 1996 to 2000) on 2002's ''Etc.'' and released an instrumental ambient electronica album, ''Plastic Wood'', the same year.

In 2004, to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of ''Rattlesnakes'', Lloyd Cole and the Commotions reformed to perform a one-off, sellout tour in the UK and Ireland which generated some media interest, mostly in UK broadsheets. The reformation was never intended to be permanent and Cole released another solo album in 2006, ''Antidepressant'', using his usual home recording outfit by playing all the instruments himself with friends like Sobule, Derby and the guitar work of former Commotion Neil Clark on some tracks. The lyrics focus on the reality of a young American middle-class parent: leaving New York for a life in the suburbs, worrying about the stock market crash, fantasies of escaping marriage, or being "no longer young, no longer driven to distraction, not even by Scarlett Johansson." The follow-up, "Broken Record" released in September 2010, marked a departure from his solo recordings as it was performed by a band of longstanding friends and working partners including Fred Maher, Joan Wasser, Rainy Orteca, Dave Derby and Blair Cowan - as well as two musicians, Matt Cullen (guitar; banjo) and Mark Schwaber (guitar; mandolin), with whom Cole tours, billed as 'Lloyd Cole Small Ensemble'. The recording of the album was entirely financed by advance purchases by his fans, and later distributed by Tapete Records - who also oversaw and negotiated the rights to re-release a boxed set with his complete collection of b-sides and alternative takes and previously unreleased material under the title ''Cleaning Out the Ashtrays''.

Live performances

Cole is on tour frequently, playing small club venues in a one-man acoustic setting and presenting rock songs from his past career remodelled to simple folk songs. He interacts extensively with the audience and some songs are told rather than played as spoken word or stand-up comedy. Performances recorded in April 2008 at Whelan's in Dublin and in 2003 in Bremen (also broadcast by Radio Bremen) were used for two live albums called the Folksinger series. In 2010, he formed a small ensemble consisting of New England musicians, Mark Schwaber and Matt Cullen and, in October and November of that year, completed an extensive tour of Europe. Further tours of New Zealand and Australia and Europe followed in 2011. Later, in June of that year, http://www.lloydcole.com/weblog/index.php?p=3907&c;=1 a tour of North America and Canada was planned.

Personal life

Cole married his American wife, Elizabeth Lewis, in December 1989. They live in Northampton, Massachusetts with their sons William and Frank.

Golf

As an avid golfer, Cole is known for playing concerts in towns suspiciously close to famous golf courses. He shares a passion for this sport with Alice Cooper, who is said to have introduced the song "Only Women Bleed" by claiming "not even Lloyd Cole has written a song about menstruation" when playing live (which he in fact has). Cole's 5.3 handicap tied 11th place on ''Golf Digest'''s top 100 list of musicians (tied with Cooper and Dan Tyminski). His occasional dab into golf journalism, an article about playing the famous golf course Melbourne Sandbelt while being on tour, was awarded with the ''Best Feature of the Year Award'' by the Australian Golf Writers Association. He has also starred in a commercial for a local golf supply store located near his home.

Covers

Cole has recorded and performed a number of songs by Marc Bolan: "Children of the Revolution", "The Slider", "Mystic Lady", and "Romany Soup". Cole has also covered "I'm Not Willing" by Moby Grape; "Being Boring" by Pet Shop Boys; "Famous Blue Raincoat", "Tower of Song", and "Chelsea Hotel" by Leonard Cohen; "People Ain't No Good" by Nick Cave; "Vicious" by Lou Reed; "I Don't Believe You", "She Belongs to Me", "You're a Big Girl Now", "I Threw it All Away" ", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Black session live) and "Most of the Time" by Bob Dylan; "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" by The Beatles; "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks; "Human" by The Human League (with Stephin Merritt's 6ths); "Believe" by Cher (done as a lark); "Glory" by Television; "If I Were a Carpenter", "Lady Came From Baltimore", and "Reason To Believe" by Tim Hardin;, "Pocket Calculator" by Kraftwerk; "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by Burt Bacharach; "These Days" by Jackson Browne (not to be confused with Cole's own song "These Days" on ''Mainstream''); "Rock 'n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" by AC/DC; "Please Don't Tell Me How This Story Ends" by Kris Kristofferson; and "Chinese Translation" by M. Ward. His versions often differ significantly in arrangement to the originals.

Cole's "Rattlesnakes" has been covered by Tori Amos, while Sandie Shaw has recorded a version of "(Are You) Ready to Be Heartbroken?".

In 2006, Scottish band Camera Obscura released the song "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" as an answer song to Cole's 1984 hit "(Are You) Ready to Be Heartbroken?".

Discography

Albums

With the Commotions

''Rattlesnakes'' (1984), UK #13, Sweden #25, Canada #68, Australia #28, US #201

''Easy Pieces ''(1985), UK #5, Sweden #25, Canada #77, Australia #14

''Mainstream'' (1987), UK #9, Sweden #31, Australia #54

''1984-1989'' (1989), UK #14, Australia #85

''Lloyd Cole. The Commotions. The Singles'' (2004)

''Rattlesnakes - Deluxe Edition'' (2004) !Australia !Ireland !New Zealand !US Modern Rock |- |rowspan="3"| 1984 | "Perfect Skin" |align="center"|26 |align="center"|54 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |rowspan="3"| ''Rattlesnakes'' |- | "Forest Fire" |align="center"|41 |align="center"|87 |align="center"| - |align="center"| 25 |align="center"| - |- | "Rattlesnakes" |align="center"|65 |align="center"|59 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- |rowspan="2"| 1985 | "Brand New Friend" |align="center"|19 |align="center"|73 |align="center"|11 |align="center"| 20 |align="center"| - |rowspan="3"| ''Easy Pieces'' |- | "Lost Weekend" |align="center"|17 |align="center"| - |align="center"|10 |align="center"| 33 |align="center"| - |- | 1986 | "Cut Me Down" |align="center"|38 |align="center"| - |align="center"|12 |align="center"| 49 |align="center"| - |- |rowspan="3"| 1988 | "My Bag" |align="center"|46 |align="center"| - |align="center"|20 |align="center"| - |align="center"| 13 |rowspan="3"| ''Mainstream'' |- | "Jennifer She Said" |align="center"|31 |align="center"| - |align="center"|27 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- | "From the Hip" |align="center"|59 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- |rowspan="3"| 1990 | "No Blue Skies" |align="center"|42 |align="center"|92 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |rowspan="3"| ''Lloyd Cole'' |- | "Don't Look Back" |align="center"|59 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- | "Downtown" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| 5 |- |rowspan="2"| 1991 | "She's A Girl And I'm A Man" |align="center"|55 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| 7 |rowspan="3"| ''Don't Get Weird On Me Babe'' |- | "Tell Your Sister" |align="center"|- |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| 6 |- | 1992 | "Butterfly" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- |rowspan="2"| 1993 | "So You'd Like to Save the World" |align="center"|72 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |rowspan="2"| ''Bad Vibes'' |- | "Morning Is Broken" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- |rowspan="2"| 1995 | "Like Lovers Do" |align="center"|24 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |rowspan="3"| ''Love Story'' |- | "Sentimental Fool" |align="center"|73 |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- | 1996 | "Baby" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |- | 1998 | "That Boy" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - | ''Collection'' |- | 2000 | "Impossible Girl" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - | ''The Negatives'' |- | 2003 | "No More Love Songs" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - | ''Music in a Foreign Language'' |- | 2010 | "Writers Retreat!" |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - |align="center"| - | ''Broken Record'' |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:People from Buxton Category:English songwriters Category:English male singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:British expatriates in the United States

de:Lloyd Cole fr:Lloyd Cole it:Lloyd Cole nl:Lloyd Cole sv:Lloyd Cole

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Neil Young
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Neil Percival Young
alias	Bernard Shakey, Phil Perspective, Shakey Deal, Clyde Coil, Joe Yankee, Marc Lynch, Pinecone Young
birth date	November 12, 1945
birth place	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
origin	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
genre	Rock, folk rock, country rock, experimental rock, hard rock, proto-grunge
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, director, screenwriter
instrument	Guitar, vocals, harmonica, piano, keyboards, banjo, ukelele
years active	1960–present
label	Reprise, Motown, Geffen
associated acts	The Squires, The Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse, The Stray Gators, The Stills-Young Band, The Ducks, Northern Lights, Pearl Jam, Booker T. Jones, Leon Russell, Elton John
url
notable instruments	"Old Black"Martin D-45"Hank" }}

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Young began performing as a solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, and later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969. He then forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned over 40 years and 34 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration of musical styles. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website describes Young as "one of rock and roll’s greatest songwriters and performers". He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame twice: first as a solo artist in 1995, and second as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997.

Young's work is characterized by his distinctive guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature falsetto/tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments, including piano and harmonica, his idiosyncratic electric and clawhammer acoustic guitar playing are the defining characteristics of a varyingly ragged and melodic sound. While Young has experimented with differing music styles, including swing and electronic music throughout a varied career, his best known work usually falls into two primary styles: acoustic folk and country rock, or amplified hard rock in collaboration with the band Crazy Horse. Young has also adopted elements from newer styles such as alternative rock and grunge. His influence on the latter caused some to dub him the "Godfather of Grunge".

Young has directed (or co-directed) a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including ''Journey Through the Past'' (1973), ''Rust Never Sleeps'' (1979), ''Human Highway'' (1982), ''Greendale'' (2003), and ''CSNY/Déjà Vu'' (2008). He is currently working on a documentary about electric car technology, tentatively titled ''Linc/Volt''. The project involves a 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to hybrid technology, which Young plans to drive to Washington, D.C. as an environmentalist example to lawmakers there.

Young is an outspoken advocate for environmental issues and the welfare of small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid. In 1986, Young helped found The Bridge School, an educational organization for children with severe verbal and physical disabilities, and its annual supporting Bridge School Benefit concerts, together with his wife Pegi Young (née Morton). Young has three children: sons Zeke (born during his relationship with actress Carrie Snodgress) and Ben, who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and daughter Amber Jean who, like Young himself, has epilepsy. Young lives on his ranch in La Honda, California. Although he has lived in northern California since the 1970s and sings as frequently about U.S. themes and subjects as he does about his native country, he retains Canadian citizenship, having no desire to relinquish it. On July 14, 2006, Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba, and on December 30, 2009, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Life and career

Early years: 1945–1966

Neil Percival Young was born in Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario at 6:45 AM on 12 November 1945. His father, Scott Young (1918–2005), was a journalist, and sportswriter who would later rise to prominence in Canada for his work. His mother, Edna "Rassy" Young (1918–1990), was of American, French, and Irish ancestry. They married in 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with their first son, Robert 'Bob' Young, being born in 1942.

Shortly after Neil's birth in 1945, the family decided to move to the rural town of Omemee, Ontario, which Neil would later fondly describe as a "Sleepy little place." Omemee later established the Youngtown Museum in tribute to Young. Young was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, and also suffered from a bout of polio in 1951, in what was the last major outbreak of the disease in Ontario. This was in fact the same epidemic in which singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, then aged nine, also contracted the virus.

Following his recovery, the Young family went on holiday to Florida in the United States in 1952, and upon returning to Canada soon decided to move away from Omemee and into the city of Toronto, before relocating to Pickering, which was just east of Toronto, and then again to north Toronto soon afterward. It was during this period that Young began to take an interest in popular music that he heard on the radio, and also began to rear chickens in order to sell their eggs.

When Neil was twelve, his father, who had been having a number of extra-marital affairs, left his mother, and she subsequently asked for, and received, a divorce some years later, in 1960. Due to the breakup of the family, Neil went to live with his mother, who moved back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, while his brother Bob stayed with his father in Toronto. During the mid-fifties, at around the age of ten or eleven, Young was drawn to a variety of musical genres including rock and roll, rockabilly, doo-wop, R&B;, country, and western pop. He would listen to pop music broadcast on the CHUM radio station via his transistor radio. Young has stated in interviews that growing up he idolized Elvis Presley and strived to be just like him, later referencing him in a number of his lyrics. Other early musical influences included Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, The Chantels, The Monotones, Ronnie Self, The Fleetwoods, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Gogi Grant. He first began to play music himself on a plastic ukulele, before, as he would later relate, going on to "a better ukulele to a banjo ukulele to a baritone ukulele – everything but a guitar."

Neil and his mother settled into the working class area of Fort Rouge, Winnipeg where the shy, dry-humoured youth enrolled at Earl Grey Junior High School. It was there that he formed his first band, The Jades, and met Ken Koblun, later to join him in The Squires. While attending Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, he played in several instrumental rock bands. Young's first stable band was called The Squires, with Ken Koblun, Jeff Wuckert and Bill Edmondson on drums, who had a local hit called "The Sultan." Young dropped out of high school and also played in Fort William (now part of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario), where they recorded a series of demos produced by a local producer named Ray Dee, whom Young called "the original Briggs." While there, Young first encountered Stephen Stills. In the 2006 film ''Heart of Gold'', Young relates how he used to spend time as a teenager at Falcon Lake, Manitoba where he would endlessly plug coins into the jukebox to hear Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds".

After leaving the Squires, Neil worked folk clubs in Winnipeg, where he first met Joni Mitchell. Mitchell recalls Young as having been highly influenced by Bob Dylan at the time. Here he wrote some of his earliest and most enduring folk songs such as "Sugar Mountain", about lost youth. Mitchell wrote "The Circle Game" in response. Winnipeg band The Guess Who (Randy Bachman being their lead guitarist) had a Top 40 Canadian hit with Young's "Flying on the Ground is Wrong," which was Young's first major hit as a songwriter.

In 1965 Young toured Canada as a solo artist. In 1966, while in Toronto, he joined the Rick James-fronted Mynah Birds. The band managed to secure a record deal with the Motown label, but as their first album was being recorded, James was arrested for being AWOL from the Naval Reserve. After the Mynah Birds disbanded, Young and bass player Bruce Palmer relocated to Los Angeles. Young admitted in a 2009 interview that he was in the United States illegally until receiving a green card in 1970.

Buffalo Springfield (1966–1968)

Once they reached Los Angeles, Young and Palmer met up with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, and Dewey Martin to form Buffalo Springfield. A mixture of folk, country, psychedelia, and rock lent a hard edge by the twin lead guitars of Stills and Young made Buffalo Springfield a critical success, and their first record ''Buffalo Springfield'' (1966) sold well after Stills' topical song "For What It's Worth" became a hit, aided by Young's melodic harmonics played on electric guitar.

Distrust of their management, as well as the arrest and deportation of Palmer, exacerbated the already strained relations among the group members and led to Buffalo Springfield's demise. A second album, ''Buffalo Springfield Again'', was released in late 1967, but two of Young’s three contributions were solo tracks recorded apart from the rest of the group.

In many ways, these three songs – "Mr. Soul," "Expecting To Fly," and "Broken Arrow" – on ''Buffalo Springfield Again'' are harbingers of much of Young's later work in that, although they all share deeply personal, almost idiosyncratic lyrics, they also present three very different musical approaches to the arrangement of what is essentially an original folk song. "Mr Soul" is the only Young song of the three that all five members of the group performed together. In contrast, "Broken Arrow" was confessional folk-rock of a kind that would characterize much of the music that emerged from the singer-songwriter movement. Young’s experimental production intersperses each verse with snippets of sound from other sources, including opening the song with a sound bite of Dewey Martin singing "Mr. Soul" and closing it with the thumping of a heartbeat. "Expecting to Fly" was a lushly produced ballad similar to the baroque pop of the mid-1960s, featured a string arrangement that Young's co-producer for the track, Jack Nitzsche, would dub "symphonic pop."

In May 1968, the band split up for good, but in order to fulfill a contractual obligation, a final album ''Last Time Around'' was released, primarily from recordings made earlier that year. Young contributed the songs "On the Way Home" and "I Am a Child", singing lead on the latter. In 1997, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Young did not appear at the ceremony. The three surviving members; Furay, Stills and Young appeared together as Buffalo Springfield at Young's annual Bridge School Benefit on 23–24 October 2010 and are planning a reunion tour for late 2011.

Crazy Horse & CSNY (1968–1970)

:''Main articles: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Crazy Horse'' After the breakup of Buffalo Springfield, Young signed a solo deal with Reprise Records, home of his colleague and friend Joni Mitchell, with whom he shared a manager, Elliot Roberts, who manages Young to this day. Young and Roberts immediately began work on Young's first solo record, ''Neil Young'' (November 1968), which received mixed reviews. In a 1970 interview, Young deprecated the album as being "overdubbed rather than played," and the quest for music that expresses the spontaneity of the moment has long been a feature of his career. Nevertheless, the album contains some songs that remain a staple of his live shows, most notably "The Loner".

For his next album, Young recruited three musicians from a band called The Rockets: Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass guitar, and Ralph Molina on drums. These three took the name Crazy Horse (after the historical figure of the same name), and ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' (May 1969), is credited to "Neil Young with Crazy Horse." Recorded in just two weeks, the album opens with one of Young's most familiar songs, "Cinnamon Girl," and is dominated by two more, "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down by the River," that feature lengthy jams showcasing Young's idiosyncratic guitar soloing accompanied sympathetically by Crazy Horse. Young reportedly wrote all three songs on the same day, while nursing a high fever of in bed.

Shortly after the release of ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'', Young reunited with Stephen Stills by joining Crosby, Stills, & Nash, who had already released one album as a trio. Young was originally offered a position as a sideman, but agreed to join only if he received full membership, and the group – winners of the 1969 "Best New Artist" Grammy Award – was renamed Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The quartet debuted in Chicago on August 16, 1969, and later performed at the famous Woodstock Festival, during which Young skipped the acoustic set and refused to be filmed during the electric set, even telling the cameramen: "One of you fuckin' guys comes near me and I'm gonna fuckin' hit you with my guitar". During the making of their first album, ''Déjà Vu'', the musicians frequently argued, particularly Young and Stills, who both fought for control. Stills continued throughout their lifelong relationship to criticize Young, saying that he "wanted to play folk music in a rock band". Despite the tension, Young's tenure with CSN&Y; coincided with the band's most creative and successful period, and greatly contributed to his subsequent success as a solo artist.

"Ohio" was written following the Kent State massacre on May 4, 1970, and was a staple of anti-war rallies in the 1970s. The song was quickly recorded by CSNY and immediately released as a single, even though CSNY's "Teach Your Children" was still climbing the singles charts. In the late 1970s and for much of the 1980s, Young refrained from performing "Ohio" live, as he considered the song to be dated. In the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Young revived the song in concert, often dedicating it to the Chinese students who were killed in the massacre. Crosby, Stills & Nash, as a trio, also returned the song to their live repertoire around the same time, even though Young had provided the lead vocals on the original recording.

Also that year, Young released his third solo album, ''After the Gold Rush'' (1970), which featured, among others, a young Nils Lofgren, Stephen Stills, and CSNY bassist Greg Reeves. Young also recorded some tracks with Crazy Horse, but dismissed them early in the sessions. Aided by his newfound fame with CSNY, the album was a commercial breakthrough for Young and contains some of his best known work. Notable tracks include the title track, with dream-like lyrics that run a gamut of subjects from drugs and interpersonal relationships to environmental concerns, as well as Young’s controversial and acerbic condemnation of racism in "Southern Man", which, along with a later song entitled "Alabama," later prompted Lynyrd Skynyrd to decry Young by name in the lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama". Despite appearances to the contrary, the rivalry between Young and Skynyrd front man Ronnie Van Zant was a friendly one, with Van Zant famously photographed wearing a ''Tonight's the Night'' t-shirt on the cover of the band's 1977 album ''Street Survivors''.

Fourth solo album: ''Harvest'' (1971–1972)

With CSNY splitting up and Crazy Horse having signed their own record deal, Young began the year 1971 with a solo tour entitled "Journey Through the Past." Later, he recruited a new group of country-music session musicians (including Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor), whom he christened The Stray Gators, to record much of the new material which had been premiered on the preceding tour; the result was the album ''Harvest'' (1972). ''Harvest'' was a massive hit and "Heart of Gold" became a US number one single. It remains the only No. 1 hit in his long career.

Another notable song was "The Needle and the Damage Done", a somber lament on the pain caused by heroin addiction, inspired in part by the heavy heroin use of Crazy Horse member Danny Whitten, who eventually died of an overdose.

The album's success caught Young off guard, and his first instinct was to back away from stardom. In the handwritten liner notes to the ''Decade'' compilation, Young famously described "Heart of Gold" as the song that "put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there."

On September 8, 1972, the actress Carrie Snodgress, with whom he had been living, gave birth to Neil Young's first child. The boy, Zeke, was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Young fell in love with Snodgress after seeing her in a movie, ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'', on television; Young wrote about this experience in the song "A Man Needs a Maid" (from the ''Harvest'' album), featuring the lyric "I fell in love with the actress/she was playing a part that I could understand."

The Ditch Trilogy (1972–1974)

Although a new tour had been planned to follow up on the success of ''Harvest'', it became apparent during rehearsals that Danny Whitten could not function due to drug abuse. On November 18, 1972, shortly after he was fired from the tour preparations, Whitten was found dead of an overdose. Young described the incident to ''Rolling Stone''’s Cameron Crowe in 1975: "[We] were rehearsing with him and he just couldn't cut it. He couldn't remember anything. He was too out of it. Too far gone. I had to tell him to go back to L.A. 'It's not happening, man. You're not together enough.' He just said, 'I've got nowhere else to go, man. How am I gonna tell my friends?' And he split. That night the coroner called me from L.A. and told me he'd OD'd. That blew my mind. I loved Danny. I felt responsible. And from there, I had to go right out on this huge tour of huge arenas. I was very nervous and ... insecure."

The album made in the aftermath of this incident, ''Time Fades Away'' (1973), has often been described by Young as "[his] least favorite record," and it is, in fact, one of only two of Young’s early recordings that has yet to be officially re-released on CD (the other being the soundtrack album ''Journey Through the Past''). The album was recorded live over a tour where Young struggled with his voice and called David Crosby and Graham Nash to help perform the music. The tour featured Linda Ronstadt as the opening act. ''Time Fades Away'' occupies a unique position in Young’s discography as the first of three albums known collectively as the "Ditch Trilogy".

In the second half of 1973, Young formed The Santa Monica Flyers, with Crazy Horse's rhythm section augmented by Nils Lofgren on guitar. Deeply affected by the drug-induced deaths of Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, Young recorded ''Tonight's the Night''. The album's dark tone and rawness led Reprise to delay and Young had to pressure them for two years before they would release it. It received mixed reviews at the time, but is now regarded as a landmark album. In Young's own opinion, it was the closest he ever came to art.

While his record company delayed the release of ''Tonight's the Night,'' Young recorded ''On the Beach'' (1974), which dealt with themes such as the downside of fame and the Californian lifestyle. Like ''Time Fades Away'' and ''Tonight's the Night'', it sold poorly but eventually became a critical favorite, presenting some of Young's most original work. A review of the 2003 re-release on CD of ''On the Beach'' described the music as "mesmerizing, harrowing, lucid, and bleary".

Return to prominence (1975–1979)

After completing ''On the Beach'', Young reunited with ''Harvest'' producer Elliot Mazer to record another acoustic album, ''Homegrown''. Most of the songs were written after Young's breakup with Snodgress, and thus the tone of the album was somewhat dark. Though the album was entirely completed, Young decided to drop the album and release ''Tonight's the Night'' instead, at the suggestion of The Band bassist Rick Danko. Young further explained his move by saying: "It was a little too personal ... it scared me".

In 1976, Young performed with Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and numerous other rock musicians in the high profile all-star concert ''The Last Waltz'', the final performance by The Band. The release of Martin Scorsese's movie of the concert was delayed while Scorsese unwillingly re-edited it to obscure the lump of cocaine that was clearly visible hanging from Young's nose during his performance of "Helpless."

''American Stars 'N Bars'' (1977) contained two songs originally recorded for ''Homegrown'' album, "Homegrown" and "Star of Bethlehem," as well as newer material, including the future concert staple "Like a Hurricane". Performers included Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Young protégé Nicolette Larson along with Crazy Horse. Also in 1977, Young released ''Decade'': a personally selected career summary of material spanning every aspect of his various interests and affiliations, including a handful of unreleased songs. ''Comes a Time'' (1978) also featured Nicolette Larson and Crazy Horse and became Young's most commercially accessible album in quite some time, marked by a return to his folk roots. In 1978 much of the filming was done for Young's film ''Human Highway''. Over four years Young would spend $3,000,000 of his own money on production. This also marked the beginning of his brief collaboration with the band Devo.

Young next set out on the lengthy "Rust Never Sleeps" tour, in which each concert was divided into a solo acoustic set and an electric set with Crazy Horse. Much of the electric set was later seen as a response to punk rock's burgeoning popularity. "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" compared the changing public perception of Johnny Rotten with that of the recently deceased Elvis Presley, who himself had once been disparaged as a dangerous influence only to later become an icon. Rotten, meanwhile, returned the favour by playing one of Young's records on a London radio show. The accompanying albums ''Rust Never Sleeps'' (new material, culled from live recordings, but featuring studio overdubs) and ''Live Rust'' (a mixture of old and new, and a genuine concert recording) captured the two sides of the concerts, with solo acoustic songs on side A, and fierce, uptempo, electric songs on side B. A movie version of the concerts, also called ''Rust Never Sleeps'' (1979), was directed by Young under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey. Young worked with rock artist Jim Evans to create the poster art for the film, using the "Star Wars" Jawas as a theme.

Young was suddenly relevant again, and the readers and critics of ''Rolling Stone'' voted him Artist of the Year for 1979 (along with The Who), selected ''Rust Never Sleeps'' as Album Of The Year, and voted him Male Vocalist of the Year as well. The Village Voice, meanwhile, honored Young as the Artist of the Decade.

Experimental years (1980s)

The 1980s were often difficult times for Young, both personally and professionally. At the start of the decade, distracted by domestic medical concerns relating to his second disabled son, Ben, Young had little time to spend on writing and recording. After providing the incidental music to a 1980 biopic of Hunter S. Thompson entitled ''Where the Buffalo Roam'', Young released ''Hawks & Doves'', a short record pieced together from sessions going back to 1974. Young did not tour in support of either album; in total, he played only one show, a set at the 1980 Bread and Roses Festival in Berkeley, between the end of his 1978 tour with Crazy Horse and the start of his tour with the Trans Band in mid-1982.

The 1982 album ''Trans'', which incorporated vocoders, synthesizers, and electronic beats, was Young's first for new label Geffen Records (distributed at the time by Warner Bros. Records, whose parent Warner Music Group owns most of Young's solo and band catalog) and represented a distinct stylistic departure. Young later revealed that an inspiration for the album was the theme of technology and communication with his son Ben, who has severe cerebral palsy and cannot speak. An extensive tour preceded the release of the album, and was documented by the video ''Neil Young in Berlin'', which saw release in 1986.

Young's next album, 1983's ''Everybody's Rockin''', included several rockabilly covers and clocked in at less than twenty-five minutes in length. Young was backed by the Shocking Pinks for the supporting U.S. tour. ''Trans'' had already drawn the ire of label head David Geffen for its lack of commercial appeal, and with ''Everybody's Rockin''' following only seven months later, Geffen Records sued Young for making music "unrepresentative" of himself. The album was also notable as the first for which Young made commercial music videos – Tim Pope directed the videos for "Wonderin'" and "Cry, Cry, Cry". Also premiered in 1983, though little seen, was the eclectic full-length comedy film ''Human Highway'', co-directed and co-written by Young, and starring Young, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, Dennis Hopper and members of Devo.

1984 was the first year without a Neil Young album since the start of Young's musical career with Buffalo Springfield in 1966. Young's lack of productivity was largely due to the ongoing legal battle with Geffen, although he was also frustrated that the label had rejected his 1982 country album ''Old Ways''. It was also the year when Young's third child, his second with wife Pegi was born; his daughter Amber Jean, a child who was later diagnosed with inherited epilepsy. Young spent most of 1984 and all of 1985 touring for ''Old Ways'' with his country band, the International Harvesters. The album was finally released in an altered form midway through 1985. Young also appeared at that year's Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, collaborating with Crosby, Stills and Nash for the quartet's first performance for a paying audience in over ten years.

Young's last two albums for Geffen were more conventional in genre, although they incorporated production techniques like synthesizers and echoing drums that were previously uncommon in Young's music. Young recorded 1986's ''Landing on Water'' without Crazy Horse, but reunited with the band for the subsequent year-long tour and final Geffen album, ''Life'', which emerged in 1987. Young's album sales dwindled steadily throughout the eighties; today ''Life'' remains his all-time-least successful studio album, with an estimated four hundred thousand sales worldwide.

Switching back to his old label Reprise Records, Young continued to tour relentlessly, assembling a new blues band called The Bluenotes in mid-1987 (a legal dispute with musician Harold Melvin forced the eventual rechristening of the band as Ten Men Working midway through the tour). The addition of a brass section provided a new jazzier sound, and the title track of 1988's ''This Note's For You'' became Young's first hit single of the decade. Accompanied by a video that parodied corporate rock, the pretensions of advertising, and Michael Jackson, the song was initially unofficially banned by MTV for mentioning the brand names of some of their sponsors. Young wrote an open letter, "What does the M in MTV stand for: music or money?" Despite this, the video was eventually named best video of the year by the network in 1989. By comparison, the major music cable network of Young's home nation, Muchmusic, ran the video immediately.

Young reunited with Crosby, Stills and Nash to record the 1988 album ''American Dream'' and play two benefit concerts late in the year, but the group did not embark upon a full tour. The album was only the second-ever studio record for the quartet.

Re-return to prominence (1990s)

Young's 1989 single "Rockin' in the Free World", which hit #2 on the U.S. mainstream-rock charts, and accompanying album, ''Freedom'', rocketed him back into the popular consciousness after a decade of sometimes-difficult genre experiments. The album's lyrics were often overtly political; "Rockin' in the Free World" deals with homelessness, terrorism, and environmental degradation, implicitly criticizing the government policies of President George H.W. Bush.

The use of heavy feedback and distortion on several ''Freedom'' tracks was reminiscent of the ''Rust Never Sleeps'' album, and foreshadowed the imminent rise of grunge. The rising stars of the genre, including Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, frequently cited Young as a major influence, contributing to his popular revival. A tribute album called ''The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young'' was released in 1989, featuring covers by alternative and grunge acts including Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Soul Asylum, Dinosaur Jr, and the Pixies.

Young's 1990 album ''Ragged Glory'', recorded with Crazy Horse in a barn on his Northern California ranch, continued this distortion-heavy aesthetic. Young toured for the album with Orange County, California country-punk band Social Distortion and alternative rock pioneers Sonic Youth as support, much to the consternation of many of his old fans. ''Weld'', a two-disc live album documenting the tour, was released in 1991. Sonic Youth's influence was most evident on ''Arc'', a 35-minute collage of feedback and distortion spliced together at the suggestion of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and originally packaged with some versions of ''Weld''.

1992's ''Harvest Moon'' marked an abrupt return to the country and folk-rock stylings of ''Harvest'' and reunited him with some of the musicians from that album, including singers Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. The title track was a minor hit and the record was well received by critics, winning the Juno Award for Album of the Year in 1994. Young also contributed to Randy Bachman's nostalgic 1992 tune "Prairie Town," and garnered a 1993 Academy Award nomination for his song "Philadelphia", from the soundtrack of the Jonathan Demme movie of the same name. An ''MTV Unplugged'' performance and album emerged in 1993. Later that year, Young collaborated with Booker T. and the M.G.s for a summer tour of Europe and North America. Some European shows ended with a rendition of "Rockin' in the Free World" played with Pearl Jam, foreshadowing their eventual full-scale collaboration two years later.

In 1994 Young again collaborated with Crazy Horse for ''Sleeps with Angels'', a record whose dark, sombre mood was influenced by Kurt Cobain's death earlier that year; the title track in particular dealt with Cobain's life and death, without mentioning him by name. Cobain had quoted Young's lyric "It's better to burn out than fade away" (a line from "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)") in his suicide note, causing Young to then on emphasize the line "'cause once you're gone you can't come back" when performing the song. Young had reportedly made repeated attempts to contact Cobain prior to his death. Still enamored with the grunge scene, Young reconnected with Pearl Jam in 1995 for the live-in-the-studio album ''Mirror Ball'' and a tour of Europe with the band and producer Brendan O'Brien backing Young. 1995 also marked Young's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he was inducted by Eddie Vedder.

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Young's next collaborative partner was filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who asked Young to compose a soundtrack to his 1995 black and white western film ''Dead Man''. Young's instrumental soundtrack was improvised while he watched the film alone in a studio. The death of longtime mentor, friend, and producer David Briggs in late 1995 prompted Young to reconnect with Crazy Horse the following year for the album and tour ''Broken Arrow''. A Jarmusch-directed concert film and live album of the tour, ''Year of the Horse'', emerged in 1997. From 1996–97 Young and Crazy Horse toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, including a stint as part of the H.O.R.D.E. Festival's sixth annual tour.

In 1998, Young renewed his collaboration with rock band Phish, sharing the stage at the annual Farm Aid concert and then at Young's Bridge School Benefit, where he joined headliners Phish for renditions of "Helpless" and "I Shall Be Released." Phish declined Young's later invitation to be his backing band on his 1999 North American tour.

The decade ended with the release in late 1999 of ''Looking Forward'', another reunion with Crosby, Stills and Nash. The subsequent tour of the United States and Canada with the reformed super quartet earned $42.1 million, making it the eighth largest grossing tour of 2000.

Renewed activism and brush with death (2000s)

Neil Young continued to release new material at a rapid pace through the first decade of the new millennium. The studio album ''Silver & Gold'' and live album ''Road Rock Vol. 1'' were released in 2000 and were both accompanied by live concert films. His 2001 single "Let's Roll" was a tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks, and the effective action taken by the passengers and crew on Flight 93 in particular. At the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" benefit concert for the victims of the attacks, Young performed John Lennon's "Imagine" and accompanied Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready on the song "Long Road", a Pearl Jam song that was written with Young during the ''Mirrorball'' sessions. "Let's Roll" was included on 2002's ''Are You Passionate?'', an album mostly composed of mellow love songs dedicated to Young's wife, Pegi, backed by Booker T & the MGs.

In 2003, Young released ''Greendale'', a concept album recorded with Crazy Horse members Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina. The songs loosely revolved around the murder of a police officer in a small town in California and its effects on the town's inhabitants. Young, under the pseudonym "Bernard Shakey", directed an accompanying film of the same name, featuring actors lip-synching to the music from the album. Young toured extensively with the ''Greendale'' material throughout 2003 and 2004, first with a solo, acoustic version in Europe, then with a full-cast stage show in North America, Japan, and Australia. Young began using biodiesel on the 2004 Greendale tour, powering his trucks and tour buses with the fuel. "Our Greendale tour is now ozone friendly,” Young said. “I plan to continue to use this government approved and regulated fuel exclusively from now on to prove that it is possible to deliver the goods anywhere in North America without using foreign oil, while being environmentally responsible.” Young spent the latter portion of 2004 giving a series of intimate acoustic concerts in various cities with his wife, who is a trained vocalist and guitar player.

In March 2005, while working on the ''Prairie Wind'' album in Nashville, Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. He was treated successfully with a minimally invasive neuroradiological procedure, performed in a New York hospital on March 29. Two days afterwards, Young passed out on a New York street from bleeding from the femoral artery, which surgeons had used to access the aneurysm. The complication forced Young to cancel his scheduled appearance at the Juno Awards telecast in Winnipeg, but within months he was back on stage, appearing at the close of the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario on July 2. During the performance, he debuted a new song, a soft hymn called "When God Made Me". Young's brush with death influenced ''Prairie Wind'''s themes of retrospection and mortality. The album's live premiere in Nashville was immortalized by filmmaker Jonathan Demme in the 2006 film ''Neil Young: Heart of Gold''.

Young's renewed activism manifested itself in the 2006 album ''Living With War'', which was hastily recorded and released in less than a month. The album's overtly political songs rebuked U.S. President George W. Bush and the War in Iraq and included the provocatively titled "Let's Impeach the President". Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunited for the supporting "Freedom Of Speech Tour '06". ''CSNY Déjà Vu'', a concert film of the tour directed by Young was released in 2008, along with an accompanying live album.

While Young had never been a stranger to eco-friendly lyrics, themes of environmentalist spirituality and activism became increasingly prominent in his work throughout the 1990s and 2000s, especially on ''Greendale'' and ''Living With War''. The trend continued on 2007's ''Chrome Dreams II'', with lyrics exploring Young's personal eco-spirituality. Also in 2007, Young accepted an invitation to participate in ''Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'', contributing his version of "Walking to New Orleans".

In 2008, Young revealed his latest project, the production of a hybrid-engine 1959 Lincoln called Lincvolt. A new album loosely based on the Lincvolt project, ''Fork in the Road'', was released on April 7, 2009. Unfortunately, the car caught fire in November, 2010, in a California warehouse, and along the way it burned an estimated $850,000 worth of Young's rock and roll memorabilia collection. Initial reports suggest the fire might have been triggered by an error in the vehicle's plug-in charging system. Young blamed the fire on human error and said he and his team were committed to rebuilding the car. "The wall charging system was not completely tested and had never been left unattended. A mistake was made. It was not the fault of the car," he said.

A Jonathan Demme concert film from a 2007 concert at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, called the ''Neil Young Trunk Show'' premiered on March 21, 2009, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas. It was featured at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2009 and was released in the US on March 19, 2010 to critical acclaim.

Young's most recent album appearance was on the album ''Potato Hole'', released on April 21, 2009 by Memphis organ player Booker T. Jones, of Booker T. & the MG's fame. Young plays guitar on nine of the album's ten instrumental tracks, alongside Drive-By Truckers, who already had three guitar players, giving some songs on the album a total of five guitar tracks. Jones contributed guitars on a couple of tracks.

Young continues to tour extensively. In 2009, he headlined the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England, at Hard Rock Calling in London (where he was joined onstage by Paul McCartney for a rendition of "A Day in the Life") and, after years of unsuccessful booking attempts, the Isle of Wight Festival in addition to performances at the Big Day Out festival in New Zealand and Australia and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona.

Young was also the victim of an Internet hoax death in early 2011 triggered by the death of an English football player of the same name.

New performances (2010s)

On January 22, 2010, Young performed "Long May You Run" on the final episode of ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''. On the same night, he and Dave Matthews performed the Hank Williams song "Alone and Forsaken", for the ''Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief'' charity telethon, in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Young performed "Long May You Run" at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Olympic winter games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In May 2010, it was revealed Young had begun working on a new studio album produced by Daniel Lanois. This was announced by David Crosby, who said that the album "will be a very heartfelt record. I expect it will be a very special record." On May 18, 2010, Young embarked upon a North American solo tour to promote his then upcoming album, ''Le Noise'', playing a mix of older songs and new material. Although billed as a solo acoustic tour, Young also played some songs on electric guitars, including Old Black. Young is continuing his Twisted Road tour with a short East Coast venture during the Spring of 2011. Young also contributed vocals to the Elton John-Leon Russell album, "The Union", singing a beautiful second stanza in the track, "Gone to Shiloh", and providing backing vocals as well.

Young currently lives near La Honda, California on his Broken Arrow Ranch, named after one of his early Buffalo Springfield songs. The original 140-acre parcel was purchased in 1970 for $350,000 cash and has grown to thousands of acres.

Archives project

As far back as 1988, Young spoke in interviews of his efforts to compile his unreleased material and to remaster his existing catalog. The collection was eventually titled the Neil Young Archives Series. The first installment, entitled ''The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972'', was originally planned for a 2007 release but was delayed, and released on June 2, 2009.

Three performances from the ''Performance Series'' of the archives were released individually before ''The Archives Vol. 1''. ''Live at the Fillmore East'', a selection of songs from a 1970 gig with Crazy Horse, was released in 2006. ''Live at Massey Hall 1971'', a solo acoustic set from Toronto's Massey Hall, saw release in 2007. ''Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968'', an early solo performance and, chronologically, the first disc in the performance series, emerged late in 2008.

In an interview in 2008, Neil Young discussed ''Toast'', an album originally recorded with Crazy Horse in San Francisco in 2000 but never released. The album will be part of the ''Special Edition Series'' of the Archives. No release date currently exists for ''Toast''. The album ''A Treasure,'' with live tracks from 1985 sessions with the International Harvesters, during a time when he was being sued by Geffen Records, was released in June 2011.

On July 14, 2009, Young's first four solo albums were reissued as remastered HDCD discs and digital downloads as discs 1–4 of the ''Original Release Series'' of the Archives.

Awards and recognitions

2011 Juno Awards Artist of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year, and Allan Waters Humanitarian Award

2011 Grammy Awards Best Rock Song "Angry World" – Neil Young, songwriter

2010 Grammy Awards Best Art Direction On A Boxed/Special Limited Edition Package "Archives Volume One 1963-1973" – Neil Young, Gary Burden, Jenice Heo

Canadian Music Hall of Fame, 1982

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. First in 1995 for his solo work, with an induction speech given by Eddie Vedder, and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.

As one of the original founders of Farm Aid, he remains an active member of the board of directors. For one weekend each October, in Mountain View, California, he and his wife host the Bridge School Concerts, which have been drawing international talent and sell-out crowds for nearly two decades with some of the biggest names in rock having performed at the event including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, The Who, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Tom Waits, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Sir Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews. The concerts are a benefit for the Bridge School, which develops and uses advanced technologies to aid in the instruction of children with disabilities. Young's involvement stems at least partially from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy.

Young was nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for his song "Philadelphia" from the film ''Philadelphia''. Bruce Springsteen won the award for his song "Streets of Philadelphia" from the same film. In his acceptance speech, Springsteen said that "the award really deserved to be shared by the other nominee's song." That same night, Tom Hanks accepted the Oscar for Best Actor and gave credit for his inspiration to the song "Philadelphia".

He was part owner of Lionel, LLC, a company that makes toy trains and model railroad accessories. In 2008 Lionel emerged from bankruptcy and his shares of the company were wiped out. At this time his status with Lionel is unknown, according to Lionel CEO Jerry Calabrese he is still a consultant for Lionel. He was instrumental in the design of the Lionel Legacy control system for model trains and it is believed he will continue to develop the system. Young has been named as co-inventor on seven U.S. Patents related to model trains.

Young has twice received honorary doctorates. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1992, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from San Francisco State University in 2006. The latter honour was shared with his wife Pegi for their creation of the Bridge School. In 2006, Young was given Manitoba's highest civilian honour, when he was appointed to the Order of Manitoba. In 2009, he was then given Canada's highest civilian honour, when he was appointed to the Order of Canada.

''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2000, ranked Young thirty-fourth in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and in 2003, included five of his albums in its list of 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2000, Young was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2006, ''Paste'' magazine compiled a "Greatest Living Songwriters" list; Young was ranked second behind Bob Dylan. (While Young and Dylan have occasionally played together in concert, they have never collaborated on a song together, or played on each others' records). He ranked thirty-ninth on ''VH1's 100 Greatest Artist of Hard Rock'' that same year. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame explained that while Young has "avoided sticking to one style for very long, the unifying factors throughout Young’s peripatetic musical journey have been his unmistakable voice, his raw and expressive guitar playing, and his consummate songwriting skill."

Young's political outspokenness and social awareness influenced artists such as Blind Melon, Phish, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. Young is referred to as "the Godfather of Grunge" because of the influence he had on Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder and the entire grunge movement. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam inducted Young into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, citing him as a huge influence. Young is cited as being a significant influence on experimental rock artists Sonic Youth, Jesse Marchant, and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Yorke recounted of first hearing Young after sending a demo tape into a magazine when he was 16, who favourably compared his singing voice to Young's. Unaware of Young at that time, he bought ''After the Gold Rush'', and "immediately fell in love" with his work, calling it "extraordinary". Dave Matthews lists Neil Young as one of his favorite and most inspirational songwriters and covers his songs on occasion. The British Indie band The Bluetones named their number one debut album after the song "Expecting to Fly" (written by Young when still with Buffalo Springfield) and have covered the song while touring. Young also inspired Oasis singer-songwriter Noel Gallagher, with Gallagher covering "My My, Hey Hey (Into the Black)" on the live album ''Familiar to Millions''.

The Australian rock group Powderfinger named themselves after Young's song "Powderfinger" from Young's ''Rust Never Sleeps''. The members of the Constantines have occasionally played Neil Young tribute shows under the name Horsey Craze. While in Winnipeg on November 2, 2008 during the Canadian leg of his tour, Bob Dylan visited Young's former home in River Heights, where Young spent his teenage years. Dylan was interested in seeing the room where some of Young's first songs were composed.

Jason Bond, an East Carolina University biologist, discovered a new species of trapdoor spider in 2007 and named it ''Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi'' after Young, his favorite singer (a previous similar case was the dinosaur ''Masiakasaurus knopfleri'' named after the musician Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits).

In 2001, Young was awarded the Spirit of Liberty award from the civil liberties group People for the American Way. Young was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, 2010, two nights prior to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. In addition was also nominated for two Grammy Awards; Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ("Fork In The Road") and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package ["Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963–1972)"]. Young won the latter Grammy Award. In 2010, Young was ranked #26 in Gibson.com’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

Juno Awards

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result |- | rowspan=2 | 2011 || Artist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | Adult Alternative Album of the Year || ''Le Noise'' || |- | 2008 || Adult Alternative Album of the Year || ''Chrome Dreams II'' || |- | 2007 || Adult Alternative Album of the Year || ''Living With War'' || |- | rowspan=3 | 2006 || Adult Alternative Album of the Year || ''Prairie Wind'' || |- | Jack Richardson Producer of the Year || "The Painter" || |- | Songwriter of the Year || "The Painter", "When God Made Me", "Prairie Wind" || |- | rowspan=2 | 2001 || Best Male Artist || Neil Young || |- | Best Roots & Traditional Album – Solo || ''Silver & Gold'' || |- | 1997 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | rowspan=2 | 1996 || Best Rock Album || ''Mirror Ball'' || |- | Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | rowspan=3 | 1995 || Songwriter of the Year || Neil Young || |- | Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | Entertainer of the Year || Neil Young || |- | rowspan=2 | 1994 || Single of the Year || "Harvest Moon" || |- | Album of the Year || ''Harvest Moon'' || |- | rowspan=2 | 1993 || Songwriter of the Year || Neil Young || |- | Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1991 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1990 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1989 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1986 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1982 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1981 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1980 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1979 || Male Vocalist of the Year || Neil Young || |- | 1975 || Composer of the Year || Neil Young || |}

Instruments

Guitars

In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' listed Young as eighty-third in its ranking of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time", describing him as a "restless experimenter...who transform[s] the most obvious music into something revelatory." Young is a collector of second-hand guitars, but in recording and performing, he frequently uses just a few instruments, as is explained by his longtime guitar technician Larry Cragg in the film ''Neil Young: Heart of Gold''. They include:

1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. Nicknamed "Old Black", this is Young's primary electric guitar and is featured on ''Rust Never Sleeps'' and other albums. Old Black got its name from an amateur paintjob applied to the originally gold body of the instrument, sometime before Neil acquired the guitar in the late 1960s. In 1972, a mini humbucker pickup from a Gibson Firebird was installed in the lead/treble position. This pickup, severely microphonic, is considered a crucial component of Neil's sound. A Bigsby vibrato tailpiece was installed as early as 1969, and can be heard during the opening of "Cowgirl in the Sand" from ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''.

Martin D-45. His primary steel-string acoustic guitar, used to write "Old Man" and many other songs. It was one of four instruments bought by Stephen Stills for himself and his band-mates in CSNY in order to celebrate their first full concert at the Greek Theater in 1969.

Martin D-28. Nicknamed "Hank" after its previous owner, Hank Williams. Hank Williams, Jr., had traded it for some shotguns; it went through a succession of other owners until it was located by Young's longtime friend Grant Boatwright. The guitar was purchased by Young from Tut Taylor. Young has toured with it for over 30 years. A story about the guitar and the song it inspired, "This Old Guitar," can be seen about 50 minutes into the film ''Neil Young: Heart of Gold''. It is Young's primary guitar for ''Prairie Wind''.

Vintage Martin D-18: Young used an old D-18 throughout his early days performing in coffee houses in Canada and on some early Buffalo Springfield work, before he received the D-45 from Stills. It can also be seen on unreleased footage from the Woodstock documentary, particularly on an exceptional acoustic duet of the Buffalo Springfield track "Mr. Soul" with Stills. The guitar has often been used to carry "dropped standard tuning" (DGCFAD) which Young often uses in concert. This allowed him to perform songs such as "Ambulance Blues" and "Don't let it Bring You Down" live without having to tune all 6 strings onstage.

Other notable (or odd) instruments played by Young include:

On CMT live he is shown playing with Phish in which he plays a Languedoc G2, Presumably that of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio

Vagabond Travel Guitar, used for "Let's Impeach the President" on ''The Colbert Report''.

Taylor 855 12-string, used in the first half of ''Rust Never Sleeps''.

1927 Gibson Mastertone, a six-string banjo tuned like a guitar, used on many recordings and played by James Taylor on "Old Man."

Gretsch 6120 (Chet Atkins model). Before Young bought Old Black, this was his primary electric guitar during his Buffalo Springfield days.

Gretsch White Falcon. Young purchased a late 1950s model near the end of the Buffalo Springfield era; in 1969 he bought a stereo version of the same vintage guitar from Stephen Stills, and this instrument is featured prominently during Young's early '70s period, and can be heard on tracks like "Ohio," "Southern Man," "Alabama," "Words (Between the Lines of Age)," and "L.A.". It was Young's primary electric guitar during the ''Harvest'' era, since Young's deteriorating back condition (eventually fixed with surgery) made playing the much heavier Les Paul difficult. This particular White Falcon is the stereo 6137, in which the signal from the three bass strings is separated from the signal from the three treble strings. Young typically plays this guitar in this stereo mode, sending the separate signals to two different amps, a Fender Deluxe and either a Fender Tremolux or a low-powered Tweed Fender Twin. The separation of the signals is most prominently heard on the ''Harvest'' song "Words."

Gibson Flying V, on the ''Time Fades Away'' tour.

Fender Broadcaster, on the ''Tonight's the Night'' album and tour.

Reed organ

Young owns an Estey reed organ, serial number 167272, dating from 1885, which he frequently plays in concert and which was recently restored. The instrument and its restoration are documented in ''The Reed Society Quarterly'' (30.1: 6ff); a photograph of the instrument is on the cover.

Amplification

Young uses various vintage Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifiers. His preferred amplifier for electric guitar is the Fender Deluxe, specifically a Tweed-era model from 1959. He purchased his first vintage Deluxe in 1967 for $50 from the drummer of Crazy Horse, Ralph Molina, and has since acquired nearly 450 different examples, all from the same era, but he maintains that it's the original model that sounds superior and is crucial to his trademark sound. The Tweed Deluxe is almost always used in conjunction with a late-1950s Magnatone 280 (similar to the amp used by Lonnie Mack and Buddy Holly). The Magnatone and the Deluxe are paired together in a most unusual manner: the external speaker jack from the Deluxe sends the amped signal through a volume potentiometer and directly into the input of the Magnatone. The Magnatone is notable for its true pitch-bending vibrato capabilities, which can be heard as an electric piano amplifier on "See the Sky About to Rain". A notable and unique accessory to Young's Deluxe is the Whizzer, a device created specifically for Young, which physically changes the amplifier's settings to pre-set combinations. This device is connected to footswitches operable by Young onstage in the manner of an effects pedal.

Discography

:''See also the discographies for Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young''

See also

Music of Canada

Canadian rock

Notes

References

McKay, George (2009) "'Crippled with nerves": popular music and polio'. ''Popular Music'' 28:3, 341–365.

External links

Neil's Garage – Official website

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young official website

Sugar Mountain – a compilation of set lists from Neil Young's concert performances

Youngtown Rock and Roll Museum – Omemee, Ontario

Review of Crazy Horse at the Fillmore 1970

"Neil Young: Don't be Denied", PBS, ''American Masters'', TV documentary, 2009

Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:People from Toronto Category:Anti–Iraq War activists Category:Anti–Vietnam War activists Category:Buffalo Springfield members Category:Canadian activists Category:Canadian country guitarists Category:Canadian country rock musicians Category:Canadian country singers Category:Canadian film directors Category:Canadian folk guitarists Category:Canadian folk singers Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Canadian people of American descent Category:Canadian people of French descent Category:Canadian people of Irish descent Category:Canadian rock guitarists Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian environmentalists Category:Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Category:Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young members Category:Juno Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:MusiCares Person of the Year Honorees Category:Lead guitarists Category:Musicians from Manitoba Category:Writers from Manitoba Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba Category:Crazy Horse (band) members Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:Writers from Ontario Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:People with epilepsy Category:People from Winnipeg Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

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